Protect Yourself from Pesticides

A Guide for Forest Workers

Northwest Forest Worker Center

About this training guide

Introduction for the promotora

This guide is your training tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the hazards

of working with pesticides. The information is tailored for workers in Oregon, but most of it is

relevant for forest workers throughout the U.S. To teach this session, hold the guide so that the

illustrations or photos face toward the workers you are training. On the other side are the

instructions for what to say and do during the session.

Instructions for the promotoras will be in red.

Wait for participants to give answers based on what they know, and then add any missing points

or clarify any information needed.

Learning objectives for this session

By the end of this session, participants will know what they can do to lower their risk of

exposure to pesticides at work as well as their rights under the Worker Protection Standard,

implemented by the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They will know:

how to recognize risk factors for exposure to pesticides;

the different levels of toxicity of pesticides;

how to recognize symptoms of exposure to pesticides;

best practices in avoiding the risk factors to prevent exposure to pesticides;

workers’ right to file a complaint without retaliation

Materials needed for this session

You will need blank paper and pens for writing (in case participants want to write down notes).

Time for this session

The total time for this session is approximately 2 hours. These are the main activities, with

estimates for how much time each part will take.

Welcome, Pre-test and Introduction 15 minutes

Describing pesticides: what they are and how dangerous they can be 15 minutes

Explaining exposure: symptoms, where contact may happen, how enter the body 20 minutes

Preventing exposure and treatment if exposed 25 minutes

Protecting your family 10 minutes

Your right to file a complaint 10 minutes

Review 10 minutes

Wrap-up and Evaluation 15 minutes

Answers to questions will be in shaded boxes.

This training guide was produced by the Northwest Forest Worker Center in 2017 under Grant Number SH31242SH7 from OSHA, US Dept. of Labor, and a grant from the

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, Department of Consumer and Business Services. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Dept of

Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government.

Protect Yourself from Pesticides

Welcome the participants, including family members, and introduce yourself. Explain

that while the training will focus on what forest workers can do to stay safe at work, we

also know that families are an important resource and source of support, to help them

stay safe.

Say: Today we’re going to talk about how to prevent exposure to pesticides while working in

the woods. I’ll be giving you a lot of information, but also asking you questions about what we

are talking about. Let’s start with introductions.

Have participants introduce themselves, or do some kind of activity or “ice breaker” that

helps people relax and get to know each other.

Say: Pesticides are applied as liquids or sprays, as powders or granules, and as gases. If you are

not careful while working, pesticides my spill or fall directly onto your body. . Also, you may

come into contact with pesticides without even realizing it because pesticides leave behind

something called a residue. Pesticide residues can get on your clothes and body as you work,

and you can take these residues home with you without even knowing it. Today we are going to

talk about how pesticides can harm you and your family, and how you can avoid exposure to

them.

Now explain that you know how dangerous working in the woods is because your husband (or

other relative) is a forest worker. Then give an example of someone among your family or

friends who has been exposed to pesticides.

Ask: How many of you have ever worked with pesticides?

Pick someone who raises their hand and ask them to share their experience. Ask them if

they got chemicals on themselves and if so, what happened. Ask other questions if you

need to get the story out. But keep the conversation short. When they are done talking,

thank them for sharing.

Say: Before we begin, I’d like to ask you a few questions about working with pesticides . This

is not a test. It just helps us know how good a job we are doing.

Ask the “pre-test” questions for this unit, following the script.

What are Pesticides?

1:

2:

3:

4:

Say: Now let’s talk about pesticides.

Ask: What are pesticides?

Pick someone and ask them what pesticides are. Ask the participants to name different

types of pesticides (for example, insecticides, herbicides, etc.) and what they are used for.

Make sure that the following definition is given, and all the following types of pesticides

are mentioned.

Definition: Pesticides are chemicals intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or

mitigating any pest..

There are four broad categories of pesticide used in forestry at least sometimes:

insecticides kill insects;

herbicides kill plants; These are the most commonly used pesticides in

forestry

rodenticides kill rodents; and

fungicides kill fungi.

Repellants – forest workers may also use repellants to repel mosquitoes and biting flies.

These chemicals are also regulated as pesticides.

Signal words and Symbols

KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN

DANGER-POISON

PELIGRO

DANGER-POISON – Highly toxic

DANGER – Highly toxic

WARNING – Moderately toxic

CAUTION – Slightly toxic

Ask: Have you heard anything about these different types of pesticides and how dangerous they are for

people?

Let the workers say what they have heard. Ask more questions to get them to think about the different levels of

toxicity of the different types of pesticides.

Say: Generally, herbicides are less toxic to humans than the other classes of pesticides.

Nevertheless, all pesticides can cause harm to humans, so it is best to avoid any direct contact

with them.

KEY POINT: Even herbicides are dangerous and can make you sick.

Ask: How do you know how dangerous the pesticide you are working with is?

1. The signal words-CAUTION, WARNING, or DANGER tell you how likely the pesticide is to make you

sick. Signal words are found on the first page of pesticide labels.

2. The word DANGER means that the pesticide is very poisonous or irritating. Even a small amount (often

less than a teaspoon) can cause serious harm. Along with the signal word DANGER, some labels have a

skull and crossbones and the word POISON printed in red ink. These pesticides are highly poisonous.

They can make you very sick-or even kill you-if you are not careful.

3. The labels of the products that can severely burn your skin and eyes carry the signal word DANGER

alone.

4. A pesticide with the word WARNING is more poisonous or irritating than those with a CAUTION

label. It doesn't take much of this pesticide to make you sick or to irritate your skin or eyes.

5. The word CAUTION is used for pesticides that are the least poisonous. These pesticides can still harm

you if you are not careful.

6. The labels of some lower-toxicity products may not have a signal word.

Read the Label

Say: Here is an example of a pesticide label.

Ask: Do you see the signal word?

Have someone point out the signal word and say what it is.

Ask: Do you see the name of the pesticide and what kind of pesticide it is?

Give the participants time to view the label and say the name and type. Then point to the name

and say it, and point to the word “herbicide” and say that that is the type of pesticide.

Point to the active ingredients and

Say: This part of the label, where it says “active ingredients” tells you the name of the chemical

that kills the pest or pests you are targeting. In this case, the chemical is “paraquat.” Paraquat is

an herbicide with a high level of toxicity.

The inert ingredients are other ingredients, like water or kerosene, that make applying the

pesticide easier.

How Exposure Can Affect You

Burning or itchy skin Photo by Metere Pinker and Mark Morrison

Mild

Symptoms

Burning eyes

Sore throat

Say: If you are exposed to pesticides you could get sick. Whether you get sick and how badly

you get sick depends on the type of pesticide you were exposed to, how much you were

exposed to, how long you were exposed, and your age, weight, gender and overall health.

Children, pregnant women, elderly people and people with pre-existing conditions may be more

vulnerable to the effects of pesticide exposure.

Chronic Health Effects

Some illnesses related to pesticide exposure, such as cancer, may develop months or years after

exposure and persist for long periods of time. These are called chronic health effects. Chronic

illnesses may result from a single exposure incident involving an extremely toxic or a large

amount of pesticide or be caused by many repeated exposures at a level that is too low to

produce noticeable immediate illnesses or injury. Chronic health effects caused by pesticide

exposure include :

• Cancer

• Fertility problems

• Respiratory illness

• Nervous system disorders

• Birth defects

• Immune system disorders

Acute Health Effects

If you are exposed, you might experience symptoms right away. These are called acute health

effects. Acute illnesses can be serious, and could cause days off work, require treatment by a

doctor or even result in death. In most cases, acute effects are resolved relatively quickly and

the exposed person fully recovers.

Symptoms of acute illnesses may be mild, moderate or severe depending on the toxicity of the

pesticide, the amount of the pesticide to which you were exposed , how long you were exposed

and other factors.

Point to the pictures and say:

Some examples of mild symptoms include burning eyes, burning or itchy skin and sore throat.

Moderate Symptoms

Excessive saliva

or drool

Blurry

vision

Shortness of

breath

Say: Here are some examples of moderate symptoms of pesticide poisoning.

Point to the pictures and name the symptoms.

Severe Symptoms

Pinpoint pupils

Trembling, lack of muscle control

Violent convulsions or seizures

Unconsciousness

or death

Say: Here are some examples of severe symptoms of pesticide poisoning.

Point to the pictures and name the symptoms.

Ask: What do these pictures of symptoms of pesticide illness tell you about working with

pesticides?

Let the workers respond. Make sure that the following points are made.

Exposure to pesticides should be minimized as much as possible. Not only can

exposure cause immediate acute illness, but exposure to small doses over time can

lead to cancer, nervous system disorders and other illnesses later in life.

Some symptoms of pesticide illness are similar to other illnesses. For example,

allergies can make your eyes itchy, and heat stress can give you a headache and

cause nausea and other symptoms. But, if you are working with pesticides or

working in an area that has been treated recently and you start to experience the

symptoms we have talked about here, leave the area and seek treatment. We will

talk more about what to do if you are exposed to pesticides later.

Where you may come into contact with pesticides

Spray mist/drift Sprayed vegetation

Mixing pesticides Pesticide containers

Your unwashed hands Unwashed work clothes

Say: Let’s talk about how you can get exposed to pesticides.

Ask: What are some ways you think that you can be exposed to pesticides?

Point to the pictures and ask the participants to describe the different ways they might be

exposed.

Pesticides can drift onto your body as you work. If you wear short-sleeved shirts you may get

pesticides on your bare arms. If you take off your gloves to adjust equipment, you may get pesticides

on your hands.

Skin exposure can also occur when a pesticide drifts onto people who are working near an

application.

Pesticide residues can transfer from contaminated hands to other parts of the body if you do not wash

your hands thoroughly before eating, drinking, smoking or using the restroom.

You may accidentally splash a pesticide onto your skin when mixing a pesticide or loading a sprayer.

You may get pesticide residues on yourself if you walk through vegetation that has recently been

sprayed.

If you use your cell phone while you are working with pesticides, you may get pesticide residues on

your phone and later transfer them to your face and hands, even after you have left the work place.

You and members of your family may get pesticide residues on themselves if you or they touch work

clothes or boots that you wore while working with pesticides.

Pesticide containers and used application equipment (sprayers, tractors and other equipment) may also

expose you or family members to pesticides.

Other sources of exposure include soil that has been treated and irrigation water that has been used to

apply pesticides.

4 ways that pesticides can enter your body

Skin contact

Ingestion

Inhalation

Eye contact

Say: There are four routes of pesticide entry into the body (point to the pictures): mouth (oral),

skin (dermal), nose (inhalation) and eyes (ocular).

Pesticide illness can occur if pesticide residues are transferred to consumed food from

unwashed hands, or from accidental ingestion (for example if pesticides are stored in

drinking water bottles).

Some pesticides when contacted can pass through the skin into the bloodstream.

Once pesticides have been inhaled, they enter the lungs and bloodstream.

Significant amounts of pesticide can penetrate the outer tissues of the eye and enter the

bloodstream.

Preventing Exposure to Pesticides

Read the Label

Wear safety equipment

Wash hands

Stay out of

posted areas

Ask: What are some ways you can protect yourself from exposure to pesticides?

Let the participants provide their ideas. Ask more questions if necessary to get them

talking. Make sure the following points are made.

Read labels and follow instructions. You should always read the label before

you start to mix or apply pesticides. If you cannot read, have a co-worker read

the label to you, or ask your supervisor what type of pesticide it is, what PPE

is required and if there are any other precautionary measures that need to be

taken. Point to the skull-and-cross-bones symbol and say: Look for the skull-

and-cross-bones symbol on the label, and if you see it, be especially sure to

ask about safety precautions.

Stay out of posted areas. Employers are required by law to notify you about

treated areas with an oral warning and/or posted signs. They are also required

to give you information on how long it will be before it is safe to reenter the

area.

Use protective clothing and PPE. The pesticide label will have information

about what PPE is necessary.

Wash your hands before eating, drinking, smoking, handling your cell phone

or going to the bathroom.

Personal Protective Equipment

Say: The label on the pesticide container will tell you what personal protective equipment is

necessary for the particular pesticide you are working with. In general you should wear long-

sleeved shirts and long pants, good work boots, a hard hat and goggles. This may be all you

need if you are working with pesticides with low toxicity (indicated by the signal word

“caution”).

Personal protective equipment may be different for different types of pesticides and for different

ways you are working with them. For example, an apron may be required when mixing

pesticides. Chemical resistant suits may be required when applying pesticides with high toxicity

(indicated by the signal words “danger – poison”). Wearing these suits increases the risk of heat

illness so, it is only necessary to wear one if the label requires it.

Hats

If a label requires a hat or overhead protection, you must wear something made of a non-

absorbent material that they are willing to wash with soap and water at the end of the handling

task. Pesticide handlers should not wear hats such as baseball caps while handling pesticides.

Goggles

Protective eyewear options includes safety glasses with front, brow, and temple protection;

chemical splash goggles; face shields; and full-face respirators. People who wear reading

glasses might opt for a face shield, which will enable them to clearly see the label while mixing

the product. If the label says, “protective eyewear” the handler can wear any of the protective

eyewear listed here. If the label specifies a type of protective eyewear (e.g., faceshield), then

that specific eyewear must be used.

Gloves

If the label requires handlers to wear gloves, they must be worn during all handling tasks,

including when repairing application equipment and adjusting nozzles. The gloves must be the

type listed on the label. Many labels will list the type of glove material (for example, nitrile

gloves) or will state that the gloves can be of any chemical-resistant or waterproof material.

Handlers must not wear cotton, suede or leather gloves when they are handling pesticides unless

instructed to do so by the label. These materials absorb pesticides and won’t protect handlers

from the pesticides.

Respirators Respirators are important if there is the likelihood of the handler’s exposure to droplets or

vapors. Again, the label will tell you the exact type of respirator needed. If a respirator is

required by a pesticide label, the employer must provide the handler with a medical evaluation,

fit test and respirator training.

Note:

It is your employer’s responsibility to provide you with PPE that is in good condition.

Protecting your Family from Pesticides

Wash work clothes

separate from family

clothes Photo by Ed Crow, Penn State Pesticide Education

Program

Remove

boots and

work

clothing

after work

shift

Wash or shower

before physical

contact with

children & family

Do not bring pesticide containers

or equipment into home

Keep children out of

treated areas

Say: We’ve talked about how pesticide residues can get on you without you even realizing it.

When you work with pesticides, you may take these residues home with you on your work

clothing, tools and equipment. To protect your family from exposure to pesticides, it is

important to make sure your children and other family members do not come into contact with

anything that might have pesticide residues on it. These photos show the precautions you should

take.

Point to the photos as you make the following points.

• Remove work boots and clothes after your work shift before driving home This is to

prevent your car from becoming contaminated..

• Bathe or take a shower after work shift and before physical contact with children and

family members. Oregon employers are required to provide showers when workers’

bodies may be exposed to materials that are highly corrosive or highly toxic by skin

absorption.

• Wash your work clothes.

• Wash work clothes before wearing them again

• Tell whomever is washing your clothes that you were working with pesticides

• Wash work clothes separately from other clothes

• Wash work clothing separate from family laundry

• Use hot water

• Decontaminate washing machine by a cycle with only water and soap (no clothes)

• Never take pesticides, pesticide containers or equipment home – they may contain

pesticide residues that may harm you and/or your family. Typically pesticides used in

forestry and agriculture are not to be used at home.

• Never re-use pesticide containers for anything else.

• Keep children out of places where pesticides may be found.

• Nonworking family members should not enter into pesticide treated areas.

• At home – keep pesticide out of reach of children.

What to do in case of accidental exposure

Wash immediately

Rinse eyes

Report to supervisor

Take MSDS to doctor

Ask: Have any of you ever accidently gotten pesticides on yourselves at work?

If any participant has accidently gotten pesticides on himself at work, ask him to describe what

happened and what he and his co-workers did about it. Make sure that the following points are

brought out in the discussion.

• Remove any PPE as quickly as possible or remove

contaminated clothing as quickly as possible. Keep

contaminated clothing in a plastic sealed bag for potential

analysis.

• Rinse the pesticide from the skin or eyes immediately with

clean water.

• Wash with soap and water and shampoo hair as soon as

possible.

• Put on clean, uncontaminated clothes.

• Report to supervisor or person in charge.

• Get medical care immediately if symptoms of pesticide

poisoning develop or are suspected.

• Take a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet to the doctor.

This will tell the doctor what type of pesticide you were

exposed.

• Share with the medical provider the circumstances of

exposure.

Your employer’s responsibilities

Provide you with

information about

the pesticide you are

using

Provide

decontamination

supplies

Provide you with PPE

Say: Your employer must:

Make information available to you about the pesticide you are using, where treated areas are and

when you may and may not enter them, and the safety data sheets for each pesticide you are using.

Allow you unrestricted access to the above information.

Train you in the safe handling of pesticides before you handle them in any way or work in areas

where they have recently been applied..

Have the following supplies located together within ¼ mile of all workers

3 gallons of water per handler at the beginning of each work period for routine and emergency

decontamination (this water should be separate from water used for mixing pesticides)

Plenty of soap and single-use towels (Note: hand sanitizers and wet towelettes are insufficient)

1 pint of water per handler in portable containers immediately available to handlers for eye

washing (if applying a pesticide that requires protective eyewear).

A clean coverall (or other clean change of clothes) for handlers

Provide you with the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary for the pesticide

you are working with.

Your right to file a complaint

Say: You have the right to complain to your employer, OSHA or other government agencies

about unsafe or unhealthful working conditions in the workplace or environmental problems.

You cannot be transferred, denied a raise, have your hours reduced, be fired, or punished in any

other way for filing a complaint.

If you have been punished or discriminated against for using your rights, you must file a

complaint with OSHA within 30 days.

You may file a complaint by telephone, mail or online.

OSHA’s telephone number is 1-800-321-OSHA (6742)

The Medford OSHA office’s telephone number is 1-541-776-6030

In your complaint you must provide information on how your employer retaliated against you

because you reported unsafe or unhealthful working conditions.

Call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1.800.858.7378 with any pesticide questions.

Hablan español.

REVIEW

Say: We started this training talking about what pesticides are and the different levels of toxicity.

Ask: Can you name two types of pesticides and what they kill?

Ask: What are signal words? Can you name two?

Ask: How do you know how dangerous the pesticide you are working with is?

Ask: What are some symptoms of pesticide poisoning?

Ask: Name three ways you can be exposed to pesticides.

Ask: What are the 4 ways pesticides can enter your?

Ask: What can you do to prevent exposure to pesticides?

Ask: How can you protect your family from exposure to pesticides?

Ask: What should you do if you are exposed to pesticides?

Ask: How many days do you have to file a complaint with OSHA if your employer retaliates

against you for complaining about unsafe or unhealthy working conditions?

Herbicides (kill weeds); Insecticides (kill insects); rodenticides (kill rodents); fungicides (kill fungi)

Signal words tell you how likely the pesticide is to make you sick.

Danger-Poison; Danger; Warning; Caution

Read the Label

Mild symptoms: Burning eyes, burning of itchy skin, sore throat.

Moderate symptoms: Excessive saliva/drool, blurry vision, shortness of breath

Severe symptoms: Pinpoint pupils, Trembling/lack of muscle control, violent

convulsions or seizures, unconsciousness or death.

Spray mist/drift; walking through sprayed vegetation; splashing yourself when mixing

pesticides; handling pesticide containers; touching other parts of your body without

washing your hands; handling unwashed work clothes.

Ingestion; skin contact; inhalation; eye contact

Follow the instructions on the label; wear PPE; wash your hands before eating, drinking,

smoking or going to the bathroom; stay out of posted areas.

Remove boots and work clothing before entering your home; wash or shower before physical contact

with children or other family members; wash work clothes; do not bring pesticide containers or

equipment into home; keep children out of posted areas.

Remove PPE and contaminated clothing and rinse the pesticide from your skin or eyes immediately;

wash/shampoo with soap and water as soon as possible; put on clean uncontaminated clothes; report to

supervisor; get medical care immediately if you develop symptoms of pesticide poisoning; take a copy

of the Material Data Safety Sheet to the doctor.

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